The Scars Beneath
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: When two new boarders- a man and his daughter- move into the Boarding House, and they have a secret that has forced them to move there, how will Arnold help them to adapt to their new home? And will he be able to achieve more? (DISCONTINUED)
1. Prologue

**(A/N: this is a preview of my next Hey Arnold! fic, The Scars Beneath. Just to clarify, this story begins during the summer before Arnold enters fifth grade, so The Jungle Movie has not taken place, and the events of which shall not occur during this story. I don't know when I'll upload the next chapter, due to my end of year assignments, so please be patient. That's all there really is to know about this piece, so I hope you enjoy!)**

A cold room, with grey-painted brick walls and two wooden doors. A mirror hangs on one wall, next to one of the doors and opposite to the wall where the other door is. A grey metal table sits in the middle, with two black metal chairs either side of it. Sat on the chair facing the mirror is a young girl, nine years old. Her light skin is marred with bruises along her arms, and one on her left cheek, while the bruises on her torso are covered by her pyjama shirt and dressing gown. She sits there, staring absently at the table, her blue eyes tired and puffy from tears. In her arms, she holds

Her attention is drawn as the door next to the mirror opens. Stepping into the room, a large, muscular man- maybe even six and a half foot tall, 250lbs- slowly approached the chair. While his muscular body, covered in a white shirt, dark blue suit, white socks and black shoes, could easily intimidate a man, his face was much softer. The man was forty-something, as evident by his slightly greying hair. His grey eyes were kind, and his smile was gentle. He lifts the chair and moves it, allowing him to sit down.

"Hi there," he greets her, his voice somewhat rough and low. "My name is Shawn. Can I ask you yours?" She looks back down at the table, too shy to answer. "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me. I know that you've been through a lot… and you don't have to worry. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I want to make sure no one will hurt you from now on." She didn't respond, but he was okay with that. He placed his two hands on the table, clasping them together. "Here's the thing- there are two options that we have, and in order for me to help you, I need you to choose what you think you will be most comfortable with." He held is hands up, palms facing the girl. "Don't worry, you don't have to decide on the spot. I want you to think about this, and if at any time, there's something you don't understand, let me know and I'll explain it more clearly. Does that sound okay?" Hesitantly, she looked up a little and gave Shawn a nod. He clasped his hands back together, this time with his index fingers free. "With everything that has happened, we think it would be best to… relocate you. What we think would be best, is if either A- we take you to an orphanage. I would visit regularly to make sure you are safe and happy with your living situation, and help wherever I could. Or, B- we would move you into a witness protection program. You would be given a new identity, which, to make things as easy as possible, would be sort of like me adopting you, so you would be assumed as my daughter." He gave a slight smirk. "But, I'll let you pick your first name," he chuckled. Although he didn't get a similar response from her, he still smiled. "I would stay with you, but it would be quite far away from here, in another state, whilst the orphanage would be a few cities over." After a moment, he stood up. "I'll give you a few moments to think about this. Would you like me to fetch you anything?"

She remained silent for a few seconds, her gaze not leaving the desk, but eventually, in a quiet, fragile voice, she whispered, "water?"

His smile perked up a little. "No problem." He walked back to the door by the mirror and walked through, shutting it behind him. In this room, he could see through the mirror, as it was one-sided, so he could see what the girl did. While he approached the water cooler, he looked at the other man in the room, a tan-skinned man in his late twenties, with brown hair and a moustache, and a similar attire to Shawn, with a grey suit instead of dark blue. "What do you think, then?"

"That poor girl," he sighed. "I can't imagine what she's going through. No one should go through something like this."

"Especially not someone her age," Shawn added. He filled a cup with water from the cooler, holding it in his left hand. "Those sick bastards should be getting a longer sentence for this."

"Yeah, but sadly, we don't know the full truth of what happened. We know they abused the poor girl, but how badly? And for how long?"

"Probably close to her whole life. Wouldn't be surprised." He looked through the mirror, and noticed that she was looking towards the door he had just gone through, which typically meant they were ready to speak again. "I better go back in." So, Shawn went through the door again, closing it behind him. "Here you are," he told her with a warm smile, setting the glass in front of her.

As he sat down, she slowly grabbed the glass and took a small sip of water, before setting the glass back down. "Thank you," she said, still practically a whisper.

"You are welcome. So," he placed his hands on his lap, leaning forward just a touch, "do you know which you would rather do?"

"I…" She thought for a moment, trying to phrase her words, before simply saying, "B, please."

He nodded. "Okay. That's not a problem. Now, we have most of your things ready in a car, and we'll leave tonight, as soon as I've made a couple of phone calls. Are you okay to stay here while I handle this?" She nodded. "You're being very brave." Although he couldn't fully see it, he was sure she smiled just a little bit at hearing this. "I'll be back as soon as we're ready."

Once again, he stands up and starts heading towards the door. "Shawn?" She asks, getting him to turn around. "Can… can my name be Sophia?"

His smile perks up. "Of course it can. I think it's a lovely name."

"Okay."

He heads through the door again. As he closes it again, his colleague turns to him. "Looks like she's warming up to you."

"That's good, I guess. I'm not great with kids."

"You'll be fine, you're the best guy for this job."

"Maybe." He pulls out his phone and turns it on. "You got that number for me to call?"

"Uh, yeah, it's right… here."

He hands Shawn a yellow post-it with a phone number on it, which Shawn proceeds to dial. After a few moments of dial tones, he eventually hears an old voice answer. _"Hello?"_

"Hi. Is this the Sunset Arms boarding house?"


	2. Chapter 1- A New Dawn

_Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Ar-_

Arnold quickly rolled over, pressing his hand down on his alarm clock to switch it off. Sighing, he pushed the covers off of himself, sat up and stretched, unleashing a mighty yawn. 'That was some weird dream,' he thought. 'Wonder if it means anything?' Shrugging it off, he stood up and exited his room. As he made his way down the hall, preparing to use the bathroom, he came to a stop when he saw Mr Potts headed his way, but he also stopped. The two looked at each other, then towards the bathroom which had no queue this morning, then back at each other. They narrowed their eyes at each other, smirking. "Looks like we're doing this the old-fashioned way, huh?" Arnold asked.

"Don't even think about it, kid," Ernie threw back, "I saw it first, and I'm using it first."

Arnold let out a dry laugh. "We'll see about that."

The two stared at each other, neither man making the first move… until Ernie began to run towards the door! Straight away, Arnold noticed and began to do the same, both men racing to get there first, and as they got near enough, Arnold- being both younger and taller- reached the door first, much to his pleasure and Ernie's disappointment.

"Aw, come on, Arnold!" he whined. "You know I'm a lot older than you, and running has never been my strong point."

"Better luck next time, Mr Potts," Arnold said. As he opened the door, however, Mr Kokoshka slipped through, shutting the door behind him. Both Arnold and Ernie blinked for a second, before frowning. "Hey! Mr Kokoshka! I was here first, and I have to get ready for for baseball!"

"Damnit, Oskar! You lousy bum, get outta there and get in the back of the line!"

"But I got here first! Ahehe!" They heard him retort from the other side of the door. "I won't be too long!"

"That's what you always say, then twenty minutes later, there's no hot water left!"

"Ahehe!" Arnold and Ernie groaned, knowing they were gonna be there for a while.

* * *

Eventually, Oskar finished up in the bathroom, and Arnold was allowed to brush his teeth and take a quick shower, before heading back to his room to get dressed. As he finished tying his laces, he stood up and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was already ten years old, yet given what he had been through in his life, he always felt older in his heart. 'I wonder what I'll get up to today,' he thought, smiling at his reflection.

His attention shifted when he heard a bell ringing downstairs. "Looks like breakfast is ready," he said. Arnold quickly made his way downstairs, seeing his grampa on the phone. "Morning, Grampa!"

Phil cupped one hand over the transmitter, turning around to smile at his grandson. "Morning, Short Man!" He called. "Go on and get some breakfast, I'll join you in a minute!" Once Arnold was in the kitchen, Phil removed his hand from the mouthpiece and resumed his phone call. "And you're sure it's no bother? … aww, that's perfect! Thanks a lot, I owe you one for this!"

Whilst Phil spoke on the phone, Arnold reached the kitchen, where he saw his grandmother- 'Pookie', as Phil often called her- dressed in her Bwana attire, stalking around the room with her fly swatter.

"Hey, Grandma," Arnold greeted, being shushed in response.

"Hush, Kimba," she whispers, "the mosquitoes are about again. The little bloodsuckers aren't getting me today." She watched as a fly entered the room, landing on the wall next to the kitchen door. Gertie smirked, taking slow, big steps towards the fly. "Gently goes the hunter to her prey, and…" She swung the fly swatter at the wall, only for the fly to fly off. "Darn! The prey has outsmarted the trap!"

Arnold merely chuckled to himself. "I'm gonna make myself some breakfast, okay?"

"You go right ahead, Kimba, while I take care of these blasted mosquitoes."

Rolling his eyes, Arnold walked towards the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk and a carton of orange juice, then once he'd shut the fridge, he grabbed a bowl, spoon and glass from the side and placed them on the table. He poured some orange juice into the glass, then grabbed a box of cereal and poured some into his bowl, followed by the milk. After returning both cartons to the fridge and shutting it once more, he sat down and began to eat his breakfast, at which point, Phil entered the kitchen.

"How you doing then, Short Man?" He asked, whilst grabbing the pot of coffee, a mug and his newspaper.

"I'm alright, Grampa. You?"

"Eh, you know me, just dandy."

"So, who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, right!" He began to pour the coffee into the mug as he sat down. "Listen, Shortman- I know this is last minute, but I need you to stay at your friend Gerald's house for the night."

Arnold put down his spoon for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "How come?"

"Well… it's a little complicated, Short Man. You see, we got a call last night about a couple of new boarders joining us."

"Oh… 'kay?" Arnold wasn't really sure where he was going with this, but decided not to ask any questions just yet, just eating his cereal while Phil continued to explain.

"And, you see, there's a couple of fine details that need to be worked out before they can move in. I know it's sudden, but he specifically requested it be tonight that they come to talk about this, and… well…" He frowned, furrowing his brow. "How do I put this, now? In order to make the… transition as smooth as possible, we agreed it would be just me and Pookie who meet them tonight. Ernie's staying at the union for the night, Mr Hyunh's gonna go visit his daughter, and the Kokoshka's are going to visit Suzie's sister for a few days anyway." He looked back at his grandson. "Does this make sense to you, Arnold?"

"Uh… a little, but…"

Phil chuckled. "Don't worry too much about it, Arnold. Once this is all sorted and they've moved in, I'll try and explain it some more to you." He picked up his newspaper. "Don't worry about your stuff, Short Man- I'll get everything you need ready, and you can come pick it up in a bit."

"Okay, Grampa." Having finished his cereal, Arnold gulped down the rest of his orange juice, putting down the glass and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I better get going- Gerald's probably setting off about now too."

"Say hi to him for me!" Phil called as Arnold headed out of the kitchen, and back upstairs to fetch his gear.

"How much do you think you'll be able to explain to him?" Gertie asked, once she was certain Arnold wouldn't hear.

Phil let out a heavy sigh. "I dunno, Pookie. He's a smart kid, and lord knows he has done some remarkable things that most adults couldn't even dream of doing, but… this? I don't want him to know about that kind of thing- not yet, at least. Besides, we've gotta think about the poor girl above all else this time. Give her time to warm up to the place first." He grabbed the pastry that Gertie had placed on the table for him, then took a bite. As he returned to reading the paper, however, his eyes widened. "Pookie! Did you put raspberries in this?! You know what they do to me!"

He quickly leapt out of his chair, running straight for the bathroom while Gertie cackled. "And once again, the alpha has asserted her dominance."

* * *

Arnold was quick to get to Gerald's house, bat, glove and face mask in his usual bag. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day, with clear skies, the sun up high, and the air nice and cool, so it would be a good day to play baseball. As he walked up to the door and gave it a knock, he turned around in time to see Harvey the mailman headed toward the house.

"Morning, Harvey!" Arnold greeted, giving a smile and a wave.

"Morning, Arnold!" He greeted back. "What are you doing here today?"

"Me and Gerald are headed to play baseball with the others."

"Ah, I see. Say, since you're here, would you mind handing Mrs Johanssen her mail for me?"

"Sure thing."

Harvey walked up the path and reached into his bag, pulling out the bundle of mail he then handed to Arnold. "Thanks, kid. Have a good one."

"You too, Harvey," Arnold replied as Harvey made his way back down the path. As the mailman exited the gate, Arnold turned around when he heard the door opening, and saw Gerald's older brother, Jamie-O. "Oh, hey, Jamie-O!"

"What's up, pipsqueak?" He replies, smirking as he messes up Arnold's hair with his hand, much to the younger boy's irritation.

"Yeah, yeah, is Gerald ready?"

"Should be any minute now. Come on in."

"Thanks." Arnold entered the Johanssen household, Jamie-O shutting the door behind him. Arnold made his way into the kitchen, where he saw Mrs Johanssen preparing some coffee, while Gerald, Timberly and Mr Johanssen all ate at the table. The mother of the family turned and smiled at Arnold.

"Good morning, Arnold," she greeted, as the others turned to acknowledge him.

"Good morning, Mrs Johanssen," he replied. "Harvey asked me to hand you your mail today."

"Why, thank you, Arnold." He handed her the mail, which she looked through and handed most of it to Mr Johanssen, while keeping the two letters addressed to her. "What time shall we be expecting you tonight?"

"Wait a minute," Gerald spoke up. "Is Arnold coming round tonight?"

"Yes. I just got off the phone with his grandpa while you were getting ready. He told me that something came up, and that he needed someone to look after him for one night, which I told him was okay. Besides, we enjoy having you here."

"Did Grampa happen to mention why he needed me to stay here tonight?" She thought for a second, before shaking her head. "Oh. Okay. Well, I'll need to grab my stuff after the game, so would four o'clock be okay?"

"That would be just fine, Arnold."

Mr Johannsen finished his coffee and stood up. "Looks like I better be going to work." He walked over to his wife and placed a kiss on her lips. "See you later, sweetie."

"Bye, honey." As he made his way towards the door, she turned to her son. "You two better be going too, or you'll be late for the game."

Gerald looked at the clock and saw that she was right. "Oh, yeah." He finished his glass of orange juice and quickly stood up. "See ya later, mom."

"See you tonight, boys."

"Bye, Arnold! Bye, Gerald!" Timberly said, waving. "I'll be cheering for you!" This caused Gerald to groan, while Arnold just chuckled.

"Timberly…"


	3. Chapter 2- The New Boarders Arrive

"So, your Grampa just dumps you at my place to meet them?" Gerald asked, having heard Arnold's explanation of what Phil told him.

"He isn't dumping me there," Arnold argued, "he just… it's complicated."

"Gee. That's an understatement." Arnold rolled his eyes at him. "But, still. He gets a call about some new people moving in, tells you that you need to be out of the house, and doesn't even tell you anything about them? Their names, where they're from, why they're moving?" All he received in response was Arnold shaking his head. "Damn! Sounds mysterious… kinda like that Mister X dude from a while back. Remind me, whatever happened to him?"

"Well…" Arnold stopped for a second, trying to think of an explanation. "Actually, I don't really know."

"So, maybe it's him moving back in? Maybe with a new 'lady friend'?"

Arnold rolled his eyes. "I doubt that, Gerald. Besides, he already lived there, so Grampa would have told me he was moving back in. And Mister X never had any 'lady friends' before, so I really don't think THAT would happen."

"Hmm… I guess so. But, if it's not Mister X, then who could it be? If they're going all this way to make sure people don't find out, then they MUST, and I mean MUST, be hiding something."

"Gerald, you're being paranoid. I'm sure it's just to allow them to adjust."

Gerald started shaking his head, just as they reached the baseball field. "All I'm saying is to keep an eye out. Someone that shady usually means trouble."

"I don't know what you two are whispering about, but if you don't get over here now, you'll be the ones in trouble!" Helga shouted. "You're late, Football Head!"

Arnold chuckled, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Okay, have a nice time, Mr Hyunh! Say hi to Mai for me!" Phil called out as Mr Hyunh headed down the street, before shutting the door and releasing a deep sigh. "Okay, so Hyunh's out, and the Kokoshka's already left this morning. Just two more to deal with." He began to walk back into the living room, when he heard the door open. Turning around, he saw Arnold and Gerald, just arriving back from baseball, so he smiled. "Hey, Short Man! Hey, Gerald! How was baseball?"

"Pretty good, even if Harold stopped the game early by hitting some guy's side mirror," Gerald explained, which brought out laughter from both Phil and Arnold. "But, yeah, it was cool. We ended up hanging out in the park for the rest of the day."

"Hey, Grampa?" Arnold asked. "Are my thing's ready upstairs?"

"Oh, right! Yeah, I've placed the bag with everything on your bed, Arnold! You just need to grab your toothbrush and all that from the bathroom. If you need anything tonight or tomorrow morning, be sure to call first."

"Thanks." He then turned to Gerald. "C'mon, let's go."

"You go on ahead, Arnold. I'll wait down here."

"Okay, sure."

Whilst Arnold went upstairs to gather his things, Gerald walked into the living room with

Phil, where a sweet scent filled his nose. "Mmm, mmm, mmm! Is that some chocolate chip cookies I can smell?"

"That'll be Pookie."

"And fresh from the oven, too." He was practically drooling at the thought. "Say, Phil, my man… is there, uh, any chance I can sneak one without Arnold knowing?" he asked slyly, giving a wink. This only received laughter in response.

"Nice try, Gerald. Besides, these are for the new boarders coming tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Arnold mentioned you were expecting new folks coming." He crossed his arms and raised his left eyebrow at Phil. "Tell me, what's with keeping Arnold in the dark on this, huh?"

"Not you too, Gerald," he sighed. "Look, I can't talk about it yet, it's… client confidentiality."

Gerald looked at him with a flat expression. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously! They asked for me to stay confidential about this until they were settled in, so that's what I'm doing!"

"Sounds very suspicious, if you ask me."

"Well, we didn't, so it doesn't matter."

Gerald narrowed his eyes at the old man. "Besides, they're not your clients, per se, so that doesn't really apply. Plus, I'm sure Arnold would HATE to know that his grandparents- the people who looked after him since his parents left- were lying to him. So, what's the big deal?"

"I'm not lying, Gerald! I… I'm, uh…" He looked around for a moment, hoping for some sort of distraction, before saying, "oh, there's my newspaper!"

He sat down in his chair, picked up the newspaper, and pretended to read it. "Are you kidding me, Phil? You think THAT will-" He was cut off, as Phil began snoring. "Phil! PHIL!" Shaking his head, Gerald tutted. "For an old man, he's crafty." Looking towards the kitchen, he realised that if Phil pretended to be sleeping, he might be able to sneak in and grab a cookie. Smirking, he slowly crept towards the kitchen, careful not to 'wake' Phil. As he got closer to the kitchen, the smell got stronger. He crept further and further, getting closer and closer until he reached the door, and-

"Nice try, young hunter," Gertie told him, a knowing look on his face.

"What the! How did- how did you-"

"I've been a mother for more than thirty years, and a grandmother for ten! You'll have to try harder than that!" All Gerald could do was facepalm- he was busted.

* * *

Arnold placed his wash bag in the zip pocket of his carrier, and picked it up off of his bed. Putting the strap over his shoulder, he began to head back downstairs. Along the way, he saw Ernie Potts leaving his room, pulling a suitcase behind him. "Hey, Mr Potts," he greeted.

"Hey, Arnold," he greeted back, whilst locking his door. When he turned to look at the boy, he instantly saw the carrier. "So, Gramps is kicking you out for the night too, huh?"

"Pretty much. I'm staying over at Gerald's house tonight. You're going to the union, right?"

"That's right. Besides, it's better than staying with any of my colleagues- you think my place is bad, you should see what their homes look like." Arnold laughed at this. "Well, see you later, kid."

"See you, Mister Potts."

Ernie quickly made his way down the stairs and headed out the door. Arnold came down not long after, heading into the living room. "Okay, Grampa! I'm ready to head out now!"

"Okay, Arnold! Say hi to Gerald's folks for me!" Phil called out from behind his newspaper.

"Sure thing." He turned to Gerald. "Ready to go?" Gerald nodded, following Arnold as they headed out the front door. They watched as the animals ran through their legs before Arnold closed the door, and they headed on their way. Not long after they started walking, Arnold realised that Gerald was being rather quiet, and when he looked at him, he saw that his friend was thinking about something. "Hey, Gerald? You okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, man, I'm fine." It only took a few seconds of Arnold staring at him to get him to talk. "Okay, look. I started talking to Gramps, and when I brought up the new boarders, his answer was just… weird."

"What do you mean, weird?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… I'm pretty sure the old guy knows more than he's telling you."

Arnold rolled his eyes. "Of course he does, Gerald. He runs the Boarding house, so they'll have introduced themselves to him over the phone."

"No, man, I…" He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's not what I meant. I think Phil knows WHY they're moving in at your place, and it's something super serious!"

Arnold stopped walking. "Okay, I'll bite. What makes you think it's something that serious?"

"Well, for one, when I pressed him, he pretended to fall asleep behind his newspaper."

Arnold put his hands on his hips. "Gerald, he's eighty-one. He DOES take naps in the day."

"Behind a newspaper?"

"Have you ever READ a newspaper? It's not like a comic book."

"Alright, but before that, he claimed it was 'client confidentiality'-"

"Which is something other boarders have requested in the past!" Arnold sighed. "Gerald, just tell me this- did Grampa say it was something that serious?"

"Well, no but-" Gerald frowned when Arnold started walking away. "Okay, fine! Don't believe me! Just don't come crawling to me when you see I'm right, and you're staying with an escaped felon or something!"

"Gerald, are you coming? It won't be long before your mom has dinner ready!"

Gerald blinked for a couple of seconds, before he took off running. "Hey! Wait up!"

* * *

Phil sighed, almost collapsing into his chair. "Well, that's everything. Everyone's out for the night, the room's been tidied, the refreshments are ready. All we can do now is wait." Pookie walked into the room, carrying a cup of coffee in either hand. "Thanks, Pookie," He said, smiling. "I'm gonna need that."

"Relax, Phil," she told him, handing him one cup which he quickly took a sip from. "Everything will be fine, and they'll be safe here."

"I know, but I can't help but worry. For one thing, we have to think about this poor girl. She's been through so much already, and from what that Shawn guy told me, she's even younger than Arnold! We have to make sure she's comfortable here!"

"You're right, we do. And we will. Remember the rich family?"

"That's not exactly a great example, Pookie. Arnold's little friend flipped out a couple of times."

"Sure, but she grew up and adapted to it. She might have moved out not long after, but she adapted all the same."

"True… but this isn't the same thing. This is a girl who…" He shuddered. "I don't even like to think about it. How do you help someone like that adapt to new surroundings?"

"It's not going to be easy." She took a drink from her cup. "All we can do is be welcoming and open." She frowned. "It's a shame we can't be as open with Arnold on this."

"I know, Pookie, but you know what Short Man's like. When he learns about their… 'problem', he'll want to try and help. As much as I hate lying to him, it's better for everyone if he doesn't know right away. And besides, it's not up to us to tell him. If, and only if, she feels comfortable with telling him, then it should be the girl who explains." He was going to continue, but they turned their heads to the hallway when they heard the doorbell. "That'll be them." He steadily rose from his chair. "You stay here, I'll go."

He walked out of the living room and straight to the front door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. Outside, it was dark out, and rain was pouring a fair bit. Right at the doorway was a large man in a dark suit, holding an umbrella over him and a little girl, who was hiding behind his legs. "Are you Philip Shortman?" The larger man asked.

"Yep, that's me," Phil answered. "You must be Shawn. Please, come inside."

"Thank you." Phil stepped to one side while Shawn and the girl entered.

"Is this her?"

"Yes, this is Sophia. My… daughter."

Phil gave a warm smile to the young girl. "It's nice to meet you, dear." She gave a small nod to him, the older man easily able to tell that she was feeling shy, so he looked to Shawn instead. "The living room is just on the left. If you want anything to drink, just ask my wife."

"Of course." He then looked down to the girl. "It's okay, just stick next to me."

"Okay," she whispered, following the muscular man into the living room.

Phil shut the front door and exhaled. "Okay. Here we go."


	4. Chapter 3- Introductions

As Phil returned to the living room, he sat down in his chair, whilst Shawn and Sophia were sat down on the couch. "So, Shawn," he started, "it's nice to meet you in person."

"Thank you," Shawn greeted back. "It's also nice to meet you. Your home is lovely, by the way."

"Thank you. We do our best to take care of it. This place has been home to my family for nearly my whole life. My wife and I bought it before we were even married!"

"Really? Wow… that's a long time! What made you turn it into a boarding house?"

"Well, we didn't want to get too bored once my son had grown up, and we liked meeting new people, so we thought it'd be a good way to keep our income." It was just then that Pookie returned with a tray, carrying three glasses- one of water and two of milk- and a plate with the cookies she had baked earlier. As she set it down on the table and began to hand the glasses out, Phil smiled. "Thanks, Pookie."

"Of course," she replied, then turned to Sophia and Shawn, though mostly Sophia. "Would either of you care for a cookie? I just made them today."

"I'm good, thank you," Shawn answered, then looked to Sophia. He could tell she was still feeling shy, which he completely understood. As she looked up at him, he smiled warmly. "It's okay, you can."

She looked at her hands, which were flat on her lap, before quietly saying, "yes, please."

Pookie smiled. "Then, by all means, help yourself." The elderly lady watched as the girl slowly stood up and moved to grab a cookie from the plate, then sat back on the couch.

"Thank you," Sophia told her, before taking a small bite. "These are good."

"I'm glad to hear you like them. I'll be sure to keep them safe in case you want more over the next few days, assuming my husband doesn't eat them all." The adults all gave a laugh to this, while Sophia- looking at her hands again- gave a thin sliver of a smile. Pookie then grabbed a wooden chair and sat on it next to Phil. "So, Sophia," the girl looked up slightly, "may I ask how old you are?"

"… I'm nine. Almost ten."

Pookie smiled some more. "Really, now?! Well, you'll have to let us know when you turn ten! If you think my cookies are nice, wait till you try my special birthday cake!" Sophia gave a small laugh at this, which made Shawn smile- this was the happiest he had heard her since they met, even though it wasn't much. Soon after, the girl yawned. "Sounds like someone's feeling tired. Would you like to be shown to your room?"

"Yes, please."

"Need a hand with any luggage, Shawn?" Phil asked.

"That's okay," he replied. "Besides, I'll get them when the rain's stopped. My car's okay out front, right?"

"Sure, it is! Don't worry, people have parked there before and nothing's happened."

"That's good."

"Sir?" Sophia asked, causing Phil to chuckle.

"Sweetie, you don't need to be so formal. Just call me Phil, it's okay."

"… will I be safe here?"

The smiles on the faces of the adults instantly dropped, with Phil frowning straight away. "Now, why would you ask that?"

"I just… don't want things to be like before."

The sigh that escaped the old man's lips was heavy, as he kneeled down to place a hand on her shoulder, which made her look him in the eyes for the first time. "Sophia… your daddy explained to us why you've moved here." She looked away for a second. "Hey, don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to you while you are staying under our roof. We'll make sure of it."

As his lips slowly curled into a smile, she looked him in the eyes. When she saw the warmth and caring nature behind them, she nodded. "Okay."

"Now, what's say we get you to bed? It's getting late."

She nodded again, and once Phil had stood up and taken his hand off of her shoulder, Sophia picked up her glass of milk and moved to grab Shawn's hand. From there, Phil and Pookie led them up the first set of stairs to the third door on the right. "This is your room here. Myself and Pookie stay in the room next door, so we're not far away, while the other boarders live along the other side of the hall, except for Mr Hyunh, who lives on the other side of us, and my grandson Arnold, who lives upstairs. Across the hall, the middle door is the bathroom, but if it's in occupancy, you can use my secret bathroom in the basement." Phil opened the door, and they all walked into the bedroom, which was pretty standard- after turning on the light, they could see two beds, a desk and chair against one red papered wall, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers against the opposite wall. They had a view of the street below, which was illuminated by streetlights. "I hope this is good for you. You're free to decorate it at any time, if it helps."

"I think this will be just fine. Are you okay with this, Sophia?" She nodded. "Good to hear."

"Well, we'll let you two get comfortable."

"I'll join you both downstairs in a moment, once Sophia's ready for bed."

"Okay, we'll be in the living room." He then turned to Sophia with a kind smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Phil. Goodnight, Pookie."

Pookie couldn't help but chuckle. "Goodnight, Sophia."

With that the two elders left the room, allowing Sophia to sit on one of the beds and gaze out the window. "So," Shawn asked her, "what do you think?"

"It's okay."

Shawn nodded. "That's good." He wasn't really sure what else to say there, so he sat down next to her. "If you need anything, just call, okay?"

"I will."

"Alright. I won't be too long, but if you do fall asleep, then… goodnight, I guess."

As he stood up, she looked at him. "Shawn?" He looked at her. "Thank you for bringing me here."

He smiled. "You're welcome," he told her, before he left the room. Closing the door behind him, he went downstairs and returned to the living room. "She seems quite happy with the place," he told Phil.

"That's good to hear," Phil told him back. "Least we can do is make her feel comfortable here." As Shawn sat back down on the couch, Phil looked at him uneasily as he cleared his throat. "So,If you don't mind me asking, because I know this might be difficult to answer, but… how did you find her?"

Shawn was silent for a few seconds, thinking about how to answer that question. He reached for the glass of water that was still on the table, and took a sip, before he finally spoke. "Well, I first found out about her when local police received a call about an argument from her home, back in Colorado. The guy who was called in was a friend of mine, and he told me that something seemed off about the encounter, saying that when they opened the door, they acted like everything was normal. All cheerful and smiling at him, even welcoming him in for a drink."

"The nerve," Pookie spat.

"I know. So, he asked me to check in on them a couple of times. I was driving by the next day and saw through the window that her brother was in the living room with her. She had been sat on the couch, but he dragged her off like she was a puppet. She got up, but he pushed her back down, but she didn't react at all to it. At first, I thought it was just the brother mistreating her, which is parental neglect on its own, and I later saw her parents taking their son to an ice cream truck, while she was sat inside, quiet as can be. The next couple of days were more of the same, until about three days ago, when I saw her mother dragging her by the arm into the house. My guess is from school. Once she was in the living room, her mother closed the curtains, but the light from inside showed their shadows, and I saw her push Sophia to the ground, just like her brother did."

"I still find it hard to believe that people like that exist," Phil sighed. "I've seen horrible people- hell, I fought in World War Two- but this is just cruel."

"That was the point when I reported back to my friend what I had seen. He spoke to his supervisor and we went to go and collect her, which was where things went ugly." He could feel himself growing angry, so he took a drink to calm himself down. "We arrived there two nights ago. We knocked on the door and they let us in like everything was fine, offering us drinks like the last time the officer went there. We explained to them what we had seen, and what we planned to do, and obviously, they didn't take lightly to it. We tried to keep it civil, but the father wasn't willing to do the same- he punched the officer in the face, while his wife immediately went upstairs to get her. While we detained the man, she was upstairs, screaming at the poor girl, telling her go into the closet and never come out, or else." Shawn noticed how Phil was scowling as he said that. "Once he was in handcuffs, we went upstairs, where the wife tried to attack me, but I detained her as well. I went into the bedroom to find the girl, but her brother hit me on the head with a baseball bat. Had it not been for the officer, he might have grabbed Sophia and taken her somewhere else. Fortunately, he was detained too. We found her in the closet, bruised and crying, with her shirt sleeve torn off."

"That poor girl," Phil sighed, shaking his head. "No one should go through something like that, but… a girl that age? That's just wrong on an entire new level."

"You're right, it is. Thankfully, she was willing to listen to me after a while, and we got her out of there. While the police arrested the parents for child abuse and assaulting a police officer, her brother will probably be sent to a juvenile detention centre. As long as they're far away from her, that's all that matters."

"I'm glad you were able to help her," Pookie said sadly, frowning. "She seems like such a sweet little girl. What could she have possibly done to make them think she deserved that?"

"Sadly, we don't know. I can tell this has gone on way longer than the week I've known about her, but there's no telling how far back, and how harshly she was abused, unless we get her to see a therapist, which she was unwilling to do when we first found her, or the police psychiatrist can speak with the parents. Either way, they're gone now."

"And rightly so. I'd hate to imagine what they did to her." He looked Shawn in the eye. "So, Shawn, what's the plan now? She'll be safe here, but… that kind of treatment leaves scars that might never heal."

"You're right, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know fully what to do from here. I know that I'll need to get a job, not only to provide but to stop any suspicions. When it comes to looking after her, though, I'm very uncertain. I haven't had kids of my own, as I never had a girlfriend who stuck around for long, and I don't have any relatives with children. I think it's important that she goes back to school, but I need to make sure that she's okay with that before she does. Other than that, all I can really do is try my best."

"And that's all she can expect of you, Shawn," Pookie smiled, walking over to put a hand on his shoulder. "I know that this will all work out for you and her. You are both more than welcome here, and we want nothing more than to keep you and her safe, and if you ever need any help, we're more than happy to give it."

"Thank you, both of you. You're very kind for helping us."

"Think nothing of it, Shawn." Phil then let out a loud yawn. "I think I'm gonna call it a night soon."

"I think I'm going to go up and make sure that Sophia is getting to sleep okay," Shawn replied, getting to his feet. He finished his glass of water and placed it back on the table. "I'll see you two in the morning."

"Goodnight!"

With that, Shawn left the two elders and headed back upstairs. As he reached his new room, he quietly opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him just as quietly. Looking over to the bed Sophia was on, he noticed that she was sound asleep, and he smiled- she looked peaceful, and given what she had been through, peace was what she deserved.

'Even if for just a few hours,' he thought as he lay himself down on his bed. He glanced over to his 'daughter' once more, whispering "good night" to her without waking her, before shutting his eyes and going to sleep, on what would be their first night of many at the Sunset Arms.


	5. Chapter 4- Arnold Meets Shawn

The light filtered through the window of Gerald's bedroom, gently falling onto Arnold's eyes which immediately began to flicker open. As Arnold covered his eyes from the sudden exposure of sunlight, he groaned, slowly beginning to shift as he woke up. He sat up so he could stretch, letting out a long yawn, then looked over at Gerald, who was just starting to wake up himself.

"Morning, Gerald," Arnold greeted his friend.

"Morning, Arnold," Gerald groggily replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it?"

Arnold looked over at the clock hanging on the wall, then replied, "just before seven thirty."

"Okay…" He yawned loudly, then plonked his head back on his pillow. "I'll get up in ten minutes or so. You go and shower if you need to."

Arnold shook his head at him, chuckling, but decided to do so anyway. Throwing off the covers, he stood up, grabbed his towel and a change of clothes, and left Gerald's bedroom. Walking down the hall, he was surprised to find that the bathroom was empty. He gave a small laugh to himself. 'If this was the Boarding House, I'd be fighting over the hot water right about now,' he thought, as he went inside and locked the bathroom door. He brushed his teeth, then took a nice, hot shower, before he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Arnold!" Gerald shouted. "You almost done in there? Jamie-O's gonna be up soon, and I'd like there to be some hot water left!"

Arnold laughed, before he replied. "Just let me get dressed, and I'll be done."

"Alright, But hurry up. He'll be up any minute!" Arnold didn't take long to get changed, and quickly unlocked the door, opening the door to see Gerald waiting there. "About time, man!"

Arnold simply rolled his eyes. Whilst Gerald went in to take a shower, Arnold returned to Gerald's room, where he placed his pyjamas, towel and toiletries in his bag, before opening the curtain to look outside. Seeing the clear sky and bright sun, he smiled. 'It looks like it's going to be another good day,' he thought to himself, before he felt his stomach rumble. He chuckled to himself, then decided to go downstairs for breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Mrs Johanssen preparing dinner. "Good morning, Mrs Johanssen!"

She turned around and smiled at the blonde boy. "Good morning, Arnold!" She greeted him. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, thanks. And you?"

"I slept just fine, thank you for asking. Breakfast will be ready soon, so feel free to grab a glass of orange juice while you wait."

"Thank you." He then walked over to the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice, which he poured into a glass before putting back. "Gerald just got in the shower, so he should be down soon."

"That's good. I'll shout for the boys when breakfast is ready, and Timberly's watching cartoons, so she'll hear." She looked over her shoulder as Arnold sat down at the table. "What are you boys going to do today?"

"I'm not sure just yet. I need to take my things back home first, but we'll probably just hang out at the arcade or something today."

She chuckled quietly as she returned her gaze to the food cooking in front of her. "I'm sure you'll find something to do. You always do."

Arnold chuckled to himself. "Yeah… I guess so."

* * *

Back at the Boarding House, Shawn was just returning to his room after taking a shower. When he first woke up, Sophia was still fast asleep, so he decided to let her sleep in. "She deserves that, at least," he had told himself.

As he shut the door behind him, the click it made caused her to stir, and when he looked at her, he saw that she was beginning to wake up. "Good morning," he greeted as she opened her eyes. "Sorry if I woke you just now."

"Morning," was her reply, as she wiped the sleep out of her eyes and sat up.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Good." He walked over the window and opened it, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that entered the apartment. "What time is it?"

He looked at his watch. "Ten to eight." He smiled at her. "I thought you might like to sleep in today. Besides, it's summer, and we got here late last night." She nodded. "You hungry?"

"A little."

"Alright. Wait here, and I'll go grab us something from the kitchen."

She nodded, before he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him, and headed downstairs. When he reached the living room, he looked into the kitchen through the open door and saw Gertie was busy cooking at the oven. "Good morning," he greeted as he entered the kitchen.

She turned around and smiled when she saw Shawn. "Good morning, Shawn!" she greeted perkily. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Just fine, thank you, and so did Sophia."

"That's good to hear. I take it, since she just woke up, that she's hungry?"

"Yeah. I told her that I would bring up some breakfast, so that she could stay in bed a bit longer."

"How very sweet of you! I won't be much longer, so feel free to grab some coffee, and there is some orange juice in the fridge."

"Thank you." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice, placing it on the table. "So," he said whilst grabbing a mug and glass out of a cupboard, "is Phil up yet?"

"Yes, he's using his downstairs bathroom. I don't know why he didn't use the main bathroom, the boarders aren't back yet, and Arnold is still at his friend's house."

Shawn looked over at the old woman. "Arnold's your… grandson, right?"

She laughed. "Yes, Arnold's my grandson."

"How old is he?"

"Just turned ten a few weeks back."

"Really? Not much older than Sophia then."

"Yes, but he acts a lot more mature than you'd expect for someone his age. He's done things you wouldn't even believe- I can't even count how many times he's made me and Phil proud."

Shawn gave a light chuckle whilst pouring his coffee. "I'll bet. And what about his parents?" Gertie suddenly dropped her spoon in the pan she was cooking in, which she quickly picked back up, muttering to herself. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong."

"Oh, don't be silly. It's just…" She paused, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Arnold's parents don't live here anymore. You see, they left not long after Arnold turned one. They're both scientists, and they met in a jungle called San Lorenzo, where they met and aided a tribe known as the Green Eyes. After that, they were married, Arnold was born, and they moved back home." She turned off the heat and grasped the handle of the frying pan. "Things were calm and happy for a while, but then their friend Eduardo came back. He said that the Green Eyes needed their help again, and they decided to go back, leaving Arnold with us. We haven't seen or heard from them since."

To say Shawn was surprised at this was an understatement. All he knew to do was look at his feet, and say, "I'm sorry to hear that. I can't imagine what that's like."

"I appreciate it. To be fair, me and Phil have mostly come to terms with it- we understand this was what they had to do…"

"… but Arnold doesn't?"

She sighed again, and began to spoon scrambled eggs onto plates. "We don't really know how Arnold sees it. He barely got the chance to know them, and all he really has to know of them are the stories Phil has told him. He's usually positive about things, but there have been times where it has gotten him down. I think he's hopeful that they will return one day. I wish I could tell him that they will, but I don't want to get his hopes up."

"I get what you mean, and I hope they do return one day. If they're anything like you two, I'm sure they're lovely people, and the same for your grandson."

She smiled at his compliment. "You're too kind." She put her now empty pan next to the sink, and heard the toaster. Grabbing the bread, she placed one piece on each plate, before putting two plates on one tray. "Well, breakfast is ready. I'll let you go and take it up, while I wait for Phil to come for his. Tell her I said good morning."

"Thank you." He placed his coffee and Sophia's glass of orange juice on the tray, before he picked it up and began to carry it upstairs. Using his elbow to push down the handle, he opened the door and walked in, seeing Sophia now sat on her bed with her legs over the edge, turning her head in his direction at the sound of the door. "Breakfast is served," he told her with a smile, before setting the tray on the bedside table.

"Thank you," she quietly replied, picking up her plate and fork, as they began to eat in silence.

* * *

"Grampa! I'm home!" Arnold called as he entered through the front door, the animals running past him and Gerald before they could shut the door. As he walked into the living room with his bag on his back, he saw that Phil was sat in his chair with a cup of coffee and his newspaper. "Hey, Grampa."

"Hey there, Short Man!" He greeted his grandson, putting down his newspaper. "How was it?"

"Everything was fine, Grampa."

"Good to hear." He then turned to Gerald. "Hey, Gerald."

"Hey, Grampa Phil."

He frowned. "What the- you- I've told you! Don't call me Grampa." Gerald rolled his eyes while Arnold chuckled. "Anyway, I'll be sure to call your mother and thank her again for letting Arnold stay with you last night. If she ever needs you out of her hair, you're always welcome to do the same here."

"Sure thing. So, are the new boarders here yet?"

Phil took a moment before he replied. "Uh, yeah, they came last night. They, uh, they said they like to sleep in, so don't be bothering them, y'hear?"

Gerald was about to say something, before Arnold cut him off. "Sure thing, Grampa. Where do you want me to put my things before we head out?"

"Just put them in your room, Short Man. I'll sort it out later."

"Okay." So, the two boys went upstairs into Arnold's room. "So," he asked Gerald while placing his bag by his bed, "where are we headed today?" When he looked back at Gerald, he was looking at him curiously. "What?"

"You seriously think these are just two normal people staying here?" Arnold groaned. "I'm telling you, I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Gerald, you're turning into Sid. Stop being so paranoid, and let them have their privacy. What is it that has you like this, the fact they're sleeping in? If they got here late, they have every right to sleep in."

"I'm still stuck on the part where we know nothing about these people, and your gramps clearly knows something."

Arnold pressed his palm against his face in irritation. "Gerald, Grampa handles all new arrivals, so of course he knows about them. I don't know anything because they just moved in, and you don't know anything because you don't live here." Gerald was going to argue further, but Arnold began to leave the room. "Come on, let's see if anyone's at the arcade yet."

So, Gerald reluctantly followed him. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Arnold stopped when he saw a large, muscular man, with greying hair and grey eyes, walked in from the living room. The large man stopped as well, his gaze meeting Arnold's as the boy smiled. "You must be the new lodger," Arnold greeted him, extending his hand for a handshake. "I'm Arnold."

The man looked at the hand, then back to the boy's face, before he shook his hand. "Call me Shawn," he replied.

"How are you finding the place so far?"

"It's pretty nice. Your grandparents take good care of-"

"So, uh, Shawn," Gerald interrupted, trying to look casual, "you gonna be staying here by yourself?"

"Excuse me, young man?" Shawn told him, giving a slightly threatening gaze that caused Gerald to back off a little.

"N-nothing…"

"Gerald!" Arnold scolded him, before turning back to Shawn. "I'm sorry about him. He's not great at meeting new people."

"So I can tell."

"What he meant was, my Grampa told me there were two people moving in."

"Yes, my… daughter. I'd introduce you to her, but she's still asleep. Look, kid, it's nice to meet you, but I need to be returning to my room."

"Okay. And, uh, welcome to the Boarding House." Shawn nodded at him, before he headed back upstairs. When Arnold turned around, he saw Gerald was watching Shawn walk away with caution. "Come on, Gerald, let's go."

"Y-Yeah, sure…"


	6. Chapter 5- They're Just Normal People

When Arnold and Gerald reached the arcade, they saw that it was just opening. "Well, at least we don't have to wait to go inside," Arnold told Gerald. "Right, Gerald?"

"Y-yeah, right."

Arnold turned to his friend, a bit concerned. "Are you okay? You've been quiet the whole way here, ever since we-" Arnold instantly realised why Gerald was acting like this, and groaned. "Please tell me you're not still hung up on Shawn."

Gerald threw his arms out wide. "Of course I am, man! That dude is freaky!" Arnold groaned again, rolling his eyes as he walked into the arcade, Gerald following behind him. "Why are you not listening to me?"

"Because you are crazy! You've only just met him, and already, you're starting to think of conspiracy theories about him! You don't know anything about him-"

"And neither do you, that's my point!" Arnold ignored him as he moved over to one of the arcade machines. "Come on, I'm not saying he's a murderer, or a kidnapper0, or anything that far fetched, but there is something not right about that dude!"

"Alright." Arnold put a quarter in the machine, and pressed start. "We don't really know him yet, we've just met him, but you think something's odd about him. Gerald, may I remind you that no one is exactly normal? We're all different in some way or another, and it's the same for Shawn."

"Sure, but there's more to it than that! You were told nothing- NOTHING- about this dude before he moved in. In fact, you didn't even know this guy existed until yesterday, the day you find out he's moving into the Boarding House. Twenty-four hours later, he's moved in. We learn his name and he's living with his 'daughter'," he used air quotes to emphasise his point.

"And you don't believe him," Arnold replied, his tone very matter-of-fact.

"No, I do not, and I have reasons too." Gerald held a finger up, even though Arnold wasn't watching him. "First, he avoided answering my question."

"That's because you were acting suspiciously when you asked it. It was obvious you were trying to insinuate something."

"… alright, fair enough, but I've got other points. When he said that it was his 'daughter', he hesitated."

"So?"

"So?! Don't you find that the least bit suspicious?!"

"No, Gerald, I don't." Arnold saw the 'game over' flash up on his screen, so he turned around to look at his tall haired friend. "Gerald, you're grasping at straws. You don't-"

"Arnold, I know what you're going to say, but let me finish." Arnold sighed, before nodding, gesturing for him to continue. "Thank you. Now, when you offered him the handshake, he looked at it and paused before he accepted it."

"Gerald-"

"Yeah, yeah, grasping at straws, but when you add that with the other things, it looks a lot more suspicious, don't you think?" Arnold was going to respond, but was cut off by Gerald. "And one more thing! The way he stared at me, that menacing gaze, and how cold his voice sounded- add those together with the other stuff, and I guarantee you, that this dude is hiding something!"

"Gerald, everyone has secrets! I'm sure there's things that you haven't told me, just like there's things I haven't told you."

"Yeah, but-" he blinked, then looked at Arnold curiously. "Really? Like what?" Before Arnold could respond, Gerald shook his head. "That's not the point! Whatever that dude is hiding, it's something serious, and I think you need to keep an eye on him."

"Well, do you know what I think?" Gerald looked at him with his eyes crossed. "I think he's just new to the area, and he needs some time to open up. If we- by which, I mean myself and the boarders- give him a couple of days to settle in, I'm sure he'll open up, and I'll be able to prove to you that he's just an ordinary guy."

Gerald looked at him incredulously. "How are you always able to look at the good side of people, even when you don't know a thing about them?"

Arnold just smirked. "Somebody has to."

Gerald just chuckled. "You're a bold kid, Arnold. Alright, fine. I won't bring this up again, but I'm telling you- there's something going on with him."

Arnold rolled his eyes. "Sure, Gerald."

The two began walking towards a different machine. "Seriously, though- what secrets do you have from me?"

"If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets."

"Alright, alright…

…

…

Seriously, though, what are they?"

Arnold just chuckled, shaking his head. "Gerald…"

* * *

Sophia sat alone in her room, reading a book that Shawn had asked for from Gertie. She hadn't been allowed books of her own when living at her old home, and only really got the chance to read books like the one she was reading- in this case, one by Agatha Caulfield- when at school, so she quickly became enamoured by the story, knowing that she didn't have any hurry to read it. Before she even realised, she had been reading for more than two hours, and was nearly halfway through the book.

'Better take a break,' she thought, placing a bookmark on the page she was at and closing the book, 'I don't want to finish it too quickly.' She placed it down on the bedside table, and stood up, walking over to the window. She looked outside at the street below, noticing how quiet and peaceful it was outside. While it wasn't much quieter than her old home, she never got the chance to truly admire what it looked like.

'They never did let me look out the window,' she thought, remembering what her life used to be like. 'They used to yell at me, and shut the curtains before…' She shook her head, removing the painful memory from her immediate thoughts. 'I'm not there anymore. I'm here, and things will be different.' She returned to looking out of the window, just in time to see Shawn's car driving away. He had told her that he was going to get groceries for the house, and while he had offered to take her, Sophia declined.

" _I need to go get some groceries for Phil," Shawn explained, the girl looking up from her reading. "I won't be too long, possibly an hour. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?" She nodded. "If you want you can come with me, you can. Might be a chance for you to get to know the area." He noticed that she looked uncomfortable at the idea, frowning when he asked. "Hey, hey, it's okay. You don't have to if you're not ready to, I understand." She visibly relaxed at that. "Okay, I'll be back soon."_

While she knew things were going to be different now that she was in a new town, far away from her old home, she couldn't help but worry, knowing what she went through before. "I'm not ready yet," she told herself, looking down glumly at the window sill, resting her arm on top of it. "I don't want things to be like before…"

* * *

It didn't take long for Shawn to finish grocery shopping, and just over half an hour after he left, he was pulling into the garage at the Sunset Arms. 'Luckily, the store was close by,' he thought as the car slowed to a halt. 'Quite a small town, actually. Shouldn't be too hard to find anything, actually.' He turned off the engine and opened the car door, stepping out. As he shut the door and locked it, he turned around just as Arnold appeared. The blonde-haired boy saw Shawn and smiled, walking over to the large man's car. "Hey, Shawn," he greeted him.

"Hello, Arnold," Shawn replied, walking over to the boot of his car. When he opened the boot, Arnold looked in and saw the groceries.

"Do you need a hand?"

Shawn was initially going to tell him that he didn't need help, but he decided to be friendly. "I think I can handle the bags, but if you don't mind, could you get the door, kid?"

"Sure thing." Shawn picked up the bags and shut the boot of his car, before following Arnold. The football-headed boy walked up to the front door and opened it, a large group of animals running outside through his and Shawn's feet. Arnold watched as the larger man did his best not to drop anything out of surprise. "I guess Grampa forgot to mention the animals."

"Yeah, I guess so. Are they all pets of yours?"

Arnold shook his head. "Just Abner. The rest are friends of his that Grandma lets in from time to time. You'll get used to it."

While he wasn't sure he would, he just went with it, following Arnold into the house. They went into the kitchen, where Shawn placed the bags on the table, and the two of them began putting the groceries away. "So, I'm guessing you usually do this for your grandparents?"

Arnold nodded as he placed cans of food into a cupboard. "Yeah. I don't mind, I like helping them from time to time."

"So your grandma tells me. She speaks quite highly of you."

"She does?" When Arnold looked at him, he nodded. "Thanks. So, Shawn, since you went to get groceries, I guess you saw some of Hillwood. "What do you think so far?"

"It's quite nice, actually. Smaller than I was expecting, but still, quite nice."

"Was it like that where you used to live?" Arnold didn't hear an answer straight away, and when he saw Shawn frowning, he realised he had something wrong. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. I just want to get to know you a little better, since you'll be living here."

"No, that's fine. You're young, you're supposed to be inquisitive. I just don't like thinking about before. Things were… tough for… us."

It was Arnold's turn to frown. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope things turn out better for you here."

"Thanks. You're a… good kid." The two were silent as they continued to pack away the food. Arnold thought about asking more about Shawn, but with how Shawn reacted to his first question, he decided to wait.

'He'll open up once he has settled in,' he reasoned with himself.

"That should do it," Shawn eventually spoke, packing the last item into the fridge and closing the door. "Thanks for the help, Arnold."

"It's no problem. I enjoyed talking with you."

Shawn gave a nod. "Well, I'm gonna go check on my daughter."

"Okay. Tell her I said welcome." Shawn nodded again, before he left the kitchen. Arnold watched him as he left- while Shawn did seem mostly normal, there was a tiny nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite place. Arnold shook his head to get rid of that feeling.

'Gerald's getting to me,' he told himself. 'They're just normal people… right?'

* * *

A few hours passed, and it was time for dinner. Arnold headed downstairs and into the dining room, where he saw three plates were laid out- one in front of his usual seat, one in front of Phil, who was sat at the end of the table, and one for where Gertie would be eating. When his grandmother came in with the food on a tray that also had two more plates, he smiled at her. "Hey, Grandma."

"Hello, Arnold," she replied. "I hope you're hungry."

"Sure am. Will Shawn and his daughter be joining us?"

Her smile faltered as she looked at Phil, who turned to Arnold, clearing his throat. "Actually, Short Man, Shawn requested that they have their dinner in their room," he explained.

"Oh… okay." Arnold watched as Gertie spooned the food onto hothead five plates, before picking up the two from the tray and leaving the room with them. He turned to Phil. "Grampa? How much do you know about the new boarders?"

"Erm… not too much. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was talking with Shawn earlier, and he told me a little, but not much."

"Such as?"

"Well, he told me that he thought Hillwood was nice, and that it was better than where they used to live."

Phil sighed. 'Should've known he'd try and get to know them…' "Look, Arnold… they're new, right?"

"Riiiiight…"

"Well, it's gonna take them some time to get to know us, and same goes the other way round, so don't force it, okay? They'll come round."

"Okay, Grampa. I think Gerald just got me thinking about it too much."

"Should've known Gerald would do that," he muttered, not eligible enough for Arnold to hear. It didn't take long for Gertie to reappear, as she sat down opposite Arnold. "Right! Let's tuck in!"

So, the three of them sat at the table, happily talking about their days while they talked. It was a lovely meal, and it allowed Arnold to ease his concerns about Shawn and his daughter while they did. By the end of the meal, he had forgotten all about them. "That was a great meal, Grandma."

"Why, thank you, Arnold," she replied with a smile. "I'm always glad to hear you enjoyed it. And it was nice to just have a meal with the three of us."

"Well, Ernie and Mr Hyunh return tomorrow, so we won't have another for a while," Phil added with a laugh.

"I'm gonna head to my room and read before supper," Arnold told them as he stood up. "Goodnight, you guys."

"Goodnight, Arnold!"

With that, Arnold made his way out of the dining room. He began to walk upstairs, when he saw a young girl, not much younger than himself, about to enter the room next to his grandparents. 'That must be Shawn's daughter,' he deduced. 'Maybe I should say hi.' Putting on a smile, he held up a hand to wave. "Hi," he greeted, "I'm-" He stopped when she gasped and turned to look at him, slightly frightened. He took a step back in an attempt to seem friendly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" It was no use, as she rushed into her room, the door quickly shutting behind her. "Scare you…" He frowned, sad that he had given a bad first impression. As he walked away, all he could think was, 'why was she so scared of me?'


	7. Chapter 6- A Tough Talk

Shawn looked over at the door as he heard it open, just in time to see Sophia quickly shut it behind her. "Sophia?" He asked, causing her to jump a little, before she realised it was only him, and she calmed down. "What's wrong?"

"I-it's nothing," she quickly told him, walking over to her bed and sitting down. He saw her holding her hands on her lap, while she looked down at them, and while he was still new to being a parent, he knew that was a telltale sign that she wasn't telling the full story. He stood up and walked over to sit down next to her, the bed creaking slightly from the extra weight.

"Are you sure? You seemed quite eager to get in here, or away from something." She didn't respond straight away, so he hesitantly raised his hand and rested it on her shoulder. "You know that… you can talk to me, right? I'm here to look after you and keep you safe, so if anything happens, I need to know. You understand that, don't you?"

She nodded. "It's nothing, really. I just…" She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words, before she continued. "I saw… someone."

"Were they inside or outside?"

"Inside."

Shawn had an idea of who it was, but he decided to make sure. "Was it a blonde boy? About your age?" She nodded, confirming his suspicions. When she looked up at him, he nodded to himself. "That must be Arnold. He's Phil and Gertie's grandson." He looked back to her and gave a comforting smile. "You don't need to worry about him- from what I've heard from his grandparents, he's a kind boy, and he won't hurt you. Did he try talking to you?" She slowly nodded again. "I'm sure he was just trying to get to know you, since we've just moved in here. I was talking with him earlier, and he seemed friendly enough." He adjusted his sitting position to look her face on. "If you don't want to talk with Arnold right away, you don't have to- take your time to get settled in here before you do, if it helps. Whatever it takes for you to become comfortable here. If you like, I could have a talk with Arnold- I won't tell him anything about before, I promise."

"You don't need to do that."

"Alright, I won't talk with Arnold, but I promise you he won't hurt you. Even if he tried, I wouldn't let him."

"Okay."

"I'm gonna go take the plates downstairs. Do you want me to get you a drink?" She nodded again. "I'll be back soon, okay?" She nodded once more, before he stood up, grabbed the plates and cutlery from the bedside table, and carried them out of the room. Shutting the door behind him, he headed downstairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen, where he saw the two elders beginning to clean up after their meal. "Hello," he greeted.

Phil and Gertie turned their heads and smiled at him. "Hey, Shawn!" Phil greeted back. "How did you enjoy your meal?"

"It was lovely, thank you." He said this more to Gertie than Phil. "Sophia enjoyed it too."

"That's good to hear," she told him. "How is she finding the book I gave you?"

"She seems to be enjoying it. I think she's already halfway through."

"Well, if she finishes it, bring it back to me, and I'll be sure to provide another."

"I will."

"Sounds like she's settling in alright," Phil added.

Shawn's smile dropped, not quite a frown yet not longer a smile. "I wouldn't quite say that."

Phil raised an eyebrow, both his and Gertie's smiles also disappearing. "Why would you say that?"

"Don't get me wrong. She likes it here, and she seems to be okay with you two, but… well, your grandson gave her a bit of a fright."

Phil sighed. "What did that boy do?"

"From what she told me, I think he saw her on the landing, tried to introduce himself to her, caught her off guard, and she ran into our room before he could say anything else."

"That sounds about right… Arnold always has had a knack for being friendly to people, even people he doesn't know. There was one time some guy in a biker gang tricked him into thinking he was his friend, just so he could use Arnold to help a robbery."

"Did he go through with it?"

"No, he didn't want any part of it, but they still tried to force him through the window. But even that incident did nothing to cease his… positive outlook when it comes to people."

"I don't doubt it. From what I saw when he spoke to me earlier, he seems like a kind young man, even though we'd only just met, and when I told Sophia that, she seemed to understand what I was saying. It's just…"

"Say no more," Phil told him, holding up a hand. "Don't worry, we understand. With what she went through, anyone would be shy and cautious around new people." He turned to Gertie. "I'm gonna go talk to Arnold."

"Okay."

Phil left the room, leaving Gertie and Shawn, the latter watching as the old man left the room. "I really appreciate this," he said, turning to face Gertie. "I know it can't be easy, having to hide this from your grandson."

"It's fine, really. It is a bit hard, but what matters is that Sophia becomes comfortable here."

"Exactly." He looked at the plates that were stacked up next to the sink, which was now filled with hot soapy water as she turned off the tap. "Would you like a hand with the washing up?"

* * *

Arnold turned his head towards the door when he heard someone knocking. "Arnold? It's me!" He heard Phil call in. "Can I come in?"

"Go ahead, Grampa!" He called back. As Phil entered the room, Arnold put his book down and turned to look at the old man. "What's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Short Man?" He asked, closing the door behind him. Arnold gave him a nod, before he shuffled on his bed, gesturing for him to sit down with him, which he did. "So, whaddya make of the new boarders, then?"

"They seem alright."

"Yeah, they're nice people! I was just talking with Shawn, and he told me that you seemed like a kind young man."

"He did?" Phil nodded. "I'm glad he thinks that…" His expression soon changed to a frown. "But…"

"You're worried the girl doesn't?" Arnold looked at him, wondering how he knew. "I heard that… things didn't go to plan when you tried to introduce yourself to her."

The boy looked down guiltily. "I just wanted to say hello, but… I must have surprised her. I tried to apologise, but she ran away before I could. I didn't mean to scare her, I really didn't."

Phil gently patted his son on the back. "I know you didn't, Arnold," he said in a kind, quiet voice. "I know that you just wanted to be friendly, and that you wouldn't scare her on purpose. Shawn doesn't think you would either. I'm glad that you want them to feel welcome, but you have to remember that they've only just moved here. They're in a new home, in a new city- heck, they're even in a new state, far away from where they used to live!"

"They are?"

"Mmhmm! So, it's gonna take them some time to open up to new people. Can you imagine what it's like to be somewhere completely different, around people who are also quite different?"

"Well… I guess not."

"Exactly. Plus, Sophia seems like-"

"Sophia?"

"That's Shawn's daughter's name. Anyway, she seemed like a quiet, shy girl when I met her last night. It's probably just because she's new to the city, and she'll open up with time, but for the time being, give her the space she needs to get comfortable. When she feels ready, she'll try speaking with you, and getting to know you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I do, Grampa. I just wish I could tell her I'm sorry."

Phil just chuckled, which made Arnold smile a little. "I know you do, but you don't have to worry about that. Shawn talked to her, and she knows you didn't mean it. You'll see, just give them time."

Arnold nodded. "You're right. Thanks, Grampa."

"Anytime, Short Man. Now," he groaned a little as he stood up, "I better go make sure your grandma isn't burning the kitchen down or anything like that."

Phil started walking towards the door, when Arnold asked, "Grampa?" He turned around, and looked at him again. "Do you know why Shawn and Sophia moved here?"

Phil frowned. 'Damnit, he just had to ask that, didn't he?' He sighed loudly, looking down at the floor as he figured out what to tell his grandson. Eventually, he looked back up at the boy, his expression serious and his hands on his hips. "Arnold… if I could tell you that, I would. However, Shawn has requested that I don't disclose that information. As his landlord, I am legally obliged to respect his wishes- only he and Sophia may tell people that. They have told me in confidence, so listen well. I'm not saying this as your Grampa, but as the landlord for the Sunset Arms- do not ask me this again, and do not go asking either of them. Do I make myself clear?"

While Arnold did still want to ask, he noted how serious his tone was, and decided it was best to listen to the old man. "I understand, Grampa," he told him, looking him right in the eye. "I won't go bothering them again."

"That's good to hear." His expression softened a little. "I know it's difficult, Arnold, but I need you to trust me on this. Goodnight, Arnold."

"Goodnight, Grampa."

With that, Phil left Arnold's room. The second he shut the door behind him, he sighed again. 'I feel horrible,' he thought as he slowly trudged down the stairs. 'I wish I didn't have to hide things from Arnold, but… he's at that age where he's always asking questions. Any other situation, and I'd gladly tell him. Hopefully things will become easier in time.'

As he reentered the kitchen, Gertie looked at him and noticed the tired expression on his face, and looked at him sympathetically. "I take it he was asking questions again?" His heavy exhale told her all she need to know, while she watched him sit down at the kitchen table. "I know it's hard, but it's for his own good, and for her sake too." He didn't respond, even though he knew she was right. She looked through the doorway, then smirked. "Since it's just the two of us," he looked up and watched as she searched through one of the cupboards, "how about a drink before bed?"

"What kind of drink are we-" She cut him off by placing a half-finished bottle of whiskey on the table, and he smirked back at her. "Well, well! I thought we finished that off last weekend!"

"Nope! I hid it before Ernie could take the last of it! So, shall we?"

* * *

Arnold returned to his room after brushing his teeth, ready for bed. He turned off the light, leaving the room to be illuminated by nothing but moonlight, and laid down in his bed. He shut his eyes and attempted to get to sleep. However, he found that sleep would not come quite so easily. It had been an unusual day, one that still plagued his thoughts as he opened his eyes in defeat, looking up at the night sky through his skylight.

" _I'm telling you- there's something going on with him."_

" _Things were… tough for… us."_

" _Do not ask me again, and do not go asking either of them."_

'Why does this bother me so much?' He asked himself, flipping onto his side. 'I've only just met them, of course I'm not going to know them that well yet. I need to give them time! And yet… I just have this weird feeling in my stomach, and I don't know what it is.'

" _I need you to trust me on this."_

'Grampa has never lied to me before. If he wants me to trust him, then I should… but if they've asked him not to tell them, then surely it must be important. So what is it?'


	8. ON HIATUS

**Okay, guys. I'm going to be honest with you. I know it has been a few weeks since the last chapter, but I feel like I need to put this story on hiatus for a little while. I do have a few reasons for doing so:**

 **Recently, I have been falling in love with The Loud House. I know I'm a couple of years too late, but it is fast becoming one of my favourite cartoons of all time. That means I've started writing and thinking of fanfics for that series, so if you enjoy The Loud House too, I'll be bringing out more fics based on the series- maybe even a HA!-TLH crossover. I have one up already, 'Runaway Loud' (warning- it's another No Such Luck alternate/extended ending fic, which there are a heck of a lot of), so if that interests you, be sure to check it out.**

 **I have a huge back catalogue of ideas that I'm wanting to get through, so I want to do some smaller fics for a while, as in nothing more than ten chapters. This story is probably going to be my longest to date (when it's finished).**

 **I know what my overall plan is for this story is, but I'm stuck on how to get there. Until I figure how to do so without either jumping ahead too quickly or adding nothing but filler, I need a break.**

 **Also, I'm quite a lazy person whose body clock is out of whack.**

 **However, my main reason is- and forgive me if this sounds off, but I'll do my best to explain- I'm worried this is something you guys don't want to see. I know that I don't review every single story I've ever read, and I won't always follow or favourite pieces… but there hasn't been as much interest for this story as I had hoped, and the lack of feedback of response is… frankly, a little disheartening. When I started writing this one, I was excited to see how it would be received, but that excitement has sizzled down a little.**

 **Rest assured, I will return to this- I do not intend to publish any stories that will not be finished. However, for the time being, I will be working on other projects. If you want me to continue this story, then please leave some feedback in the reviews- no flaming, of course, but if you like the story, or you have some constructive criticism, or just an opinion in general, I'm always happy to hear them. Until then, thank you to those who have read this story so far, have a good day, and I'll see you later.**


	9. FINAL UPDATE

**It's been a long time since I've worked on this piece, and I'm sorry I haven't told you guys sooner, but I've taken the time to work on other stuff, and I've also reached the decision that this story is officially discontinued. My apologies to those who were hoping I would return to this, but I no longer have the same passion for this story as I initially did. Now, I do still have a few other Hey Arnold stories written down, but I cannot confirm when I will complete them, or if I even will, as I have scrapped other story ideas in the past, but I will not return to this particular story.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has read this story, and all of my other stories.**


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